Marco Tardelli describes 2012 as 'a fantastic year' for Ireland

The_Kew_Tour

Whatever hard drugs he is on I want some.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2012/1112/345327-knee-injury-rules-walters-out-of-greece-game/

Marco Tardelli has described 2012 as "a fantastic year" for Ireland ahead of the clash with Greece on Wednesday evening.

Despite a poor showing at the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine, where Ireland failed to collect a single point, and a 6-1 World Cup qualifier drubbing by Germany in Dublin last month - which left manager Giovanni Trapattoni fighting for his job - assistant boss Tardelli insists the last 12 months has had its successes.

Asked if it had been a tough year, the Italian said: "No, it's been fantastic. For me, it's been a fantastic year.

"We went to play in the European Championships, that was very important for us - it had been nearly 25 years since the Irish team had qualified.
"For me, it was a very good year. We discovered many players, many young players who are here with us, and when you have big change, then it's important to have patience."
"It's been a fantastic year" - Marco Tardelli
"We know that if the younger players go on the pitch, it's possible to play very well one time, then twice very badly. But that's football, we know football."

The bulk of the squad met up at their Portmarnock base yesterday for the first time since an eventful 10 days in October which saw Trapattoni's critics round on him after the debacle against Germany.
Ireland were over-powered by Joachim Low's men and, in the aftermath, it was suggested that the 73-year-old Italian would be out of a job whatever happened in the Faroe Islands four days later.
In the event, Ireland won 4-1 in Torshavn and 24 hours later, the FAI released a statement confirming that Trapattoni would remain in his post.

Throughout all the drama and speculation, the man himself remained adamant that he was going nowhere, and immediately turned his attention to this week's friendly.

Walters returns to Stoke for treatment
With skipper Robbie Keane having been left out to spare him the gruelling round-trip from Los Angeles - Sunderland's John O'Shea will take over the armband - and Aiden McGeady and Keith Fahey having withdrawn through injury and illness respectively, Trapattoni is likely to use the opportunity to further examine the depth of his squad.

The game may not have the intensity of the two Ireland played last month, but Tardelli believes whichever players are asked to take the field, they will be given a stern test with Celtic's Georgios Samaras, one of the heroes of last Wednesday night's 2-1 Champions League victory over the mighty Barcelona, in the Greek squad.

He said: "It's a very tough test. We know that Greece is a very good team, one that presses very hard.

"They have good players, like Samaras. We know Samaras, he played against Barcelona and he played well.

"It's a good test for us and a good test for the young players. For them, it's good to play in training but it's important to play also in tough matches."
Trapattoni's plans for the first game at the Aviva Stadium since the disaster against the Germans have been disrupted by injuries to striker Jonathan Walters and defender Paul McShane, with confirmation this evening that Jonathan Walters would be sent back to Stoke for treatment at his club.

The manager has already indicated that Wigan midfielder James McCarthy may be given a chance, while in-form West Brom frontman Shane Long, who has found himself marginalised in recent games, could also figure, as could young wingers James McClean and Robbie Brady.

Of Long, Tardelli said: "Maybe it's possible he starts the first half, maybe.
"We know he is playing very well because we were there on Saturday and he played well. But also, the other players are playing very well.

"We will wait until Wednesday, but we can change some players as we want to understand these new players some more.

"We think they are good, but they must show us that they can stay with us."

Panda General

away with the fairy's that fella:eek:

Kylo Ren

Is 'fantastic' Italian for shit?

applehunter

@ 500k a year I'm sure he had a great year.

Would not agree with him re : irish soccer team. We were found out and embarrassed when it mattered in the Summer.

The_Kew_Tour

applehunter wrote: »

@ 500k a year I'm sure he had a great year.

Would not agree with him re : irish soccer team. We were found out and embarrassed when it mattered in the Summer.

0 points from a very tough group I could get over had we played at least somewhere near our potiential.

Playing like we were worst Sunday League team ever is kinda what pished me off.

and then Germany.:o

thebaz

why am I reminded of Saipan with this rubbish ?

The Irish just ther for the party nonsense - 500,000 for setlling for mediocrity !
in fact I'd suggest 2012 was below mediocrity , all achievements were done in 2011, pretty much downhill since

Mr.Nice Guy

I wouldn't call it a fantastic year but I think it was a good year.

Prior to the game against Croatia in June at the Euros we had been on a run where we only conceded 3 goals in 14 games. We had also kept 11 clean sheets.

There were four noticeably disappointing results in 2012: Croatia, Spain, Italy and Germany. Countries who were all in the top ten of the world when we played them. Two of them being eventual European Champions and runners-up and the other being a team with one of the greatest qualification records in world football.

2012 did see a ten year drought of failing to make international tournaments come to an end and saw our first appearance at a Euros since 1988.

So yeah, in summary - a fantastic year? Not quite. But a disastrous year like some like to make out? Also not the case.

The_Kew_Tour

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I wouldn't call it a fantastic year but I think it was a good year.

What were they?

Anything you pointed out to positively were from last year mainly.

SirDelboy18

Don't even get me started.

Mr.Nice Guy

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

What were they?

Anything you pointed out to positively were from last year mainly.

I think I explained that in the rest of my post.

The fact is the year was going fantastic until the poor showing at the Euros but prior to that we were on our biggest high in years and earning many plaudits.

For me, poor showings against teams that are clearly better than us does not negate the impressive qualities shown by the Irish side prior and subsequent to this against teams more around our level.

Oat23

I agree with him. We only lost 1 Irish club this year!

jordainius

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I wouldn't call it a fantastic year but I think it was a good year.

Wow... You're expectations must be unbelievably low.

Prior to the game against Croatia in June at the Euros we had been on a run where we only conceded 3 goals in 14 games. We had also kept 11 clean sheets.

6 of those clean sheets were friendlies/Carling Cup. Clean sheet against Russia was nothing short of a miracle, they destroyed us. Three clean sheets against the might of Andorra, Estonia and Macedonia. Other clean sheet at home to Slovakia, with respect to Slovakia, we will all have forgotten about that bore 0-0 draw against a middle of the road UEFA team fairly soon. (Most people probably already have.)

There were four noticeably disappointing results in 2012: Croatia, Spain, Italy and Germany. Countries who were all in the top ten of the world when we played them. Two of them being eventual European Champions and runners-up and the other being a team with one of the greatest qualification records in world football.

You call them disappointing, I and many others call those results utterly humiliating. Ireland have played at least one of the eventual finalists at Euro 88, WC94 and WC02. Euro88; drew with USSR, lost to a late Holland goal. WC94; beat Italy. WC02; late equaliser v Germany after pummelling them in the second half. Win or lose; they always gave a good account of themselves against better quality opposition. Not in Euro 2012.

2012 did see a ten year drought of failing to make international tournaments come to an end and saw our first appearance at a Euros since 1988.

So? We were humiliated. Losing I can accept, humiliation? No.

So yeah, in summary - a fantastic year? Not quite. But a disastrous year like some like to make out? Also not the case.

It was a disaster. The humiliation has continued with Germany.

Before 2012, under Trapp; in terms of playing against better teams than ourselves, we gave a good account of ourselves against Italy and France in WC2010 qualifying. In the last qualifying campaign, Russia could have absolutely destroyed us twice but we somehow managed to save face and scrape a one goal defeat and a draw. Signs of decline.

This year, that decline has continued; we can't even save face against superior opposition, we are now being routinely destroyed by better opposition. Ireland under Trapp have been well and truly found out- even Kazakhstan can make a reasonable attempt at beating us.

This was a truly terrible year.

eagle eye

It was a good year because we qualified for the Euros.

Some people want to have their cake and eat it. They will never understand that we are a small country who rarely have a player starting for a club in the group stages of the Champion's league. Despite this they expect us to compete with the very best while playing an expansive game of football. They are just delusional people.

The_Kew_Tour

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I think I explained that in the rest of my post.

The fact is the year was going fantastic until the poor showing at the Euros but prior to that we were on our biggest high in years and earning many plaudits.

For me, poor showings against teams that are clearly better than us does not negate the impressive qualities shown by the Irish side prior and subsequent to this against teams more around our level.

But everything you talk positive about happened in 2011 or before.

Dont get me wrong the year was going well at start, with excitement, anticaption and with fans going to Poland

But from football point of view it was not even close to Good. Not even the same planet as good.

SirDelboy18

eagle eye wrote: »

It was a good year because we qualified for the Euros.

Some people want to have their cake and eat it. They will never understand that we are a small country who rarely have a player starting for a club in the group stages of the Champion's league. Despite this they expect us to compete with the very best while playing an expansive game of football. They are just delusional people.

I'd pace yourself on the insults there.

People understand that we are a small country ( Croatia is smaller by the way ) who have a moderate talent pool, which has never once been utilised to its potential by our manager who forces the team to play in a tactical straitjacket. I'd go even further and say that the pool of talent at our disposal has been horrendously mismanaged.

Because of this they understand that Ireland are capable of qualifying for international tournaments, and understand that we cannot feasibly judge Trap by the standards set by Staunton. They expect us to play a brand of football that doesn't involve the ball being hoofed up to the front at every given opportunity and expect the team to show the same heart and passion as teams gone by.

They are far from delusional people.

Galvasean

Check our results since the turn of 2012. That aint great reading:
http://www.fai.ie/international/senior-men/fixtures-a-results.html

The_Kew_Tour

Galvasean wrote: »

Check our results since the turn of 2012. That aint great reading:
http://www.fai.ie/international/senior-men/fixtures-a-results.html

Forgot totally that we play England next year

Pro. F

More self serving nonsense from the management. We shouldn't expect anything else.

kitakyushu

If this year was fantastic then next year will be spectacular as it'll be the year where we get rid of these two chancers forever.

Father Damo

Trappatoni lost his reputation as still being a world class manager with his outdated yesteryear negative methods, he lost his dressing room, lost the respect of the fans, he oversaw his worst managerial scoreline defeat in something like 40 years, nearly lost his job, and has now been told he has to attend games in England he does not want to be at in order to keep the job. As the year ends most fan and likely most players re more disheartened and disinterested in his trainwreck than ever before.

On a personal level I doubt he rates this year as anything special.

Zebra3

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

I wouldn't call it a fantastic year but I think it was a good year.

Prior to the game against Croatia in June at the Euros we had been on a run where we only conceded 3 goals in 14 games. We had also kept 11 clean sheets.

We are talking about the year 2012.

The run you are talking about included 2011.

Anyway who cares about clean sheets against NI's third string.

Euro2012, when it mattered, was an utter failure (qualification was achieved in 2011), and the performance against Germany the worst in living memory.

Tardelli is overpaid and out of touch just like Delaney.

Aenaes

Father Damo wrote: »

Trappatoni lost his reputation as still being a world class manager with his outdated yesteryear negative methods, he lost his dressing room, lost the respect of the fans

1. Says who? Some Irish fans?

2. Players constantly show support for him. Show some evidence he's lost the dressing room please.

3. Some fans.

GLaDOS

We didn't qualify for the Euros in 2012, that was done the 2 years before. Using that to say it was a good year is facetious.

dan1895

FAI in "not having a clue" shocker!!

TheDoc

Pro. F wrote: »

More self serving nonsense from the management. We shouldn't expect anything else.

The day after the manager calls on McCarthy to join a "bigger "club.

When are these morons leaving to be precisely?

Laois_Man

jordainius wrote: »

Ireland have played at least one of the eventual finalists at Euro 88, WC90, WC94 and WC02. Euro88; drew with USSR, lost to a late Holland goal. WC90; did well v Italy, pipped by a Toto Scillachi goal. WC94; beat Italy. WC02; late equaliser v Germany after pummelling them in the second half. Always gave a good account of themselves against better quality opposition. Not in Euro 2012.

I agree with everything you say....but at the risk of being called pedantic, Italy were not in the 1990 WC final.

Dante

Aenaes wrote: »

1. Says who? Some Irish fans?

2. Players constantly show support for him. Show some evidence he's lost the dressing room please.

3. Some fans.

How about Glenn Whelan's interview on Sky Sports News yesterday for a start? He basically claimed that Trap's decision to constantly play an outdated 4-4-2 system was the reason we were embarrassed in Euro 2012 and that it makes him and the rest of the midfield look bad. He went on to suggest that if Trap fails to adopt better tactics in the near future, the team will continue to decline.

I think this quote says it all:

"We have taken a lot of stick, but what can we do? We are told by the manager to go out and play like this. It's not for me then to go, 'Hang on a minute, I'm not'. He's the manager, he's the boss and you do what he says because if you don't, you are not going to get picked."

If thats not evidence of the players losing faith in Trap, I don't know what is. Even when he tries to talk positively about the future, it doesn't particularly give us much reason to be optimistic.

Here's a link to part of the interview, they seemed to only include a small bit of it though because he says a lot more in the full interview (which is still being shown on SSN if you're interested).

Aidric

Not sure if it's the fact that he struggles with English but Tardelli doesn't seem very bright.

The_Kew_Tour

DaaaaaaaaaaN wrote: »

I think this quote says it all:

"We have taken a lot of stick, but what can we do? We are told by the manager to go out and play like this. It's not for me then to go, 'Hang on a minute, I'm not'. He's the manager, he's the boss and you do what he says because if you don't, you are not going to get picked."

If thats not evidence of the players losing faith in Trap, I don't know what is. Even when he tries to talk positively about the future, it doesn't particularly give us much reason to be optimistic.

Says it all.

We have to remember another thing. Trap and Marco are on more then 2 million a year between them.

You expect something for that at least.

You would expect more

Pro. F

DaaaaaaaaaaN wrote: »

How about Glenn Whelan's interview on Sky Sports News yesterday for a start? He basically claimed that Trap's decision to constantly play an outdated 4-4-2 system was the reason we were embarrassed in Euro 2012 and that it makes him and the rest of the midfield look bad. He went on to suggest that if Trap fails to adopt better tactics in the near future, the team will continue to decline.

I think this quote says it all:

"We have taken a lot of stick, but what can we do? We are told by the manager to go out and play like this. It's not for me then to go, 'Hang on a minute, I'm not'. He's the manager, he's the boss and you do what he says because if you don't, you are not going to get picked."

If thats not evidence of the players losing faith in Trap, I don't know what is. Even when he tries to talk positively about the future, it doesn't particularly give us much reason to be optimistic.

Here's a link to part of the interview, they seemed to only include a small bit of it though because he says a lot more in the full interview (which is still being shown on SSN if you're interested).

Here's the rest I think:

Glenn Whelan has pleaded with Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni not to abandon his midfield experiment.

The 28-year-old was a by-stander because of injury as the veteran Italian employed a central midfield trio in an attempt to shackle Germany at the Aviva Stadium last month, but saw his team collapse horribly to a 6-1 World Cup qualifier defeat.

However, having spent the summer chasing shadows as Croatia, Spain and Italy picked Ireland apart at the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine, Whelan is hoping the plan will not be torn up.

Trapattoni has spoken warmly of Wigan's James McCarthy and Sunderland's David Meyler in recent weeks, and has finally answered the clamour to draft Wes Hoolahan into his squad, and that is music to the Stoke midfielder's ears.
He said: "When the manager was first brought in, the board's thinking was first and foremost to get us to a World Cup or to a Europeans, that's what everyone wanted.

"It was okay getting us there, it's then what you do afterwards, it's what you are going to do once you are there. That's something we are going to work on and try to improve.

"He has fiddled about a little bit with systems and things like that, and that's helped because since I have been involved and been playing, I don't think I have played against another national team which has played 4-4-2.

"If it's me or Keith Andrews or Darron Gibson or Keith Fahey who has been in there, we have been over-powered. We are playing three against two and we don't get the credit that we deserve, really.

"We have taken a lot of stick, but what can we do? We are told by the manager to go out and play like this. It's not for me then to go, 'Hang on a minute, I'm not'.

"He's the manager, he's the boss and you do what he says because if you don't, you are not going to get picked."

If the speculation is to be believed, Trapattoni came perilously close to losing his job in the wake of the Germany debacle with the Football Association of Ireland issuing a vote of confidence 24 hours after a 4-1 victory in the Faroe Islands repaired a modicum of the damage, but by no means all of it.
However, the support from the dressing room was unequivocal in the immediate aftermath of the win in Torshavn, and Whelan insists it remains so.
He said: "At the time, he had to take it [the criticism] because the results weren't right.

"We as players take the criticism on the chin. When papers and journalists are telling you you are great one week, you can't then not take it the next week when they are telling you you are not.

"The FAI have now backed him, so hopefully they will just let him get on with it and hopefully qualify for the World Cup because that's why we are here and that's what we want.

"The disappointment of the Euros is still hanging around a little bit and I think confidence with the lads has been dented massively, so it's about getting over that first and foremost."

While Whelan may have escaped the mental scars of the drubbing by Germany, he admits those remaining from the summer are still fresh.
He revealed his family tried to protect him from some of the personal criticism, but even that is tough.

He said: "They wouldn't talk to me, they would try to hide it away from me. But I have got skin like a rhino at this stage.

"But you have to take the good with the bad. After the Euros me personally, I felt a little bit embarrassed when I came back.

"I was hard to be around, not only because of the pressure of being to a tournament for the first time in 10 years.

"I think it's the letting down the family and letting down friends and people who have supported you. That's what it felt like to me and it was hard to take."

Trapattoni is likely to take a look at several of his fringe players on Wednesday evening with skipper Robbie Keane rested and Aiden McGeady and Keith Fahey having being joined on the casualty list by Jon Walters, who has a knee problem.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2012/1112/345349-whelan-hopes-trap-sticks-with-midfield-changes/

Glenn sounds a bit all over the place. Backing the manager and hoping he can be let get on with things, but at the same time criticising his system. One thing is clear though, Glenn can see that the 442 is rubbish.

Dante

Pro. F wrote: »

Glenn sounds a bit all over the place. Backing the manager and hoping he can be let get on with things, but at the same time criticising his system. One thing is clear though, Glenn can see that the 442 is rubbish.

I couldn't help but get the feeling the feeling that there was a lot more he wanted to say but didn't for whatever reason, whether it be due to not wanting to damage team morale any further or because the powers that be warned the players against it.

Francie Barrett

5 defeats in the last 7 matches - what the heck is going through Tardelli's head?

ush

I've a feeling 2013 will make 2012 look even better.

NIMAN

Tardelli is just like any other football manager or coach these days, they bum themselves up and always focus on the positives.

Ever hear Brendan Rodgers interviews!!

The_Kew_Tour

ush wrote: »

I've a feeling 2013 will make 2012 look even better.

Sweden and Germany away could be long 180 minutes.

Going to Sweden game and must say I dont think I can ever remember looking forward to a game with more fear.

Francie Barrett

NIMAN wrote: »

Ever hear Brendan Rodgers interviews!!

Things are going the right way at Liverpool.

Things are just going from bad to worse with Ireland, this is worse than the end of the Hand/Staunton years.

Cienciano

jordainius wrote: »

Wow... You're expectations must be unbelievably low.
6 of those clean sheets were friendlies/Carling Cup. Clean sheet against Russia was nothing short of a miracle, they destroyed us. Three clean sheets against the might of Andorra, Estonia and Macedonia. Other clean sheet at home to Slovakia, with respect to Slovakia, we will all have forgotten about that bore 0-0 draw against a middle of the road UEFA team fairly soon. (Most people probably already have.)

You call them disappointing, I and many others call those results utterly humiliating. Ireland have played at least one of the eventual finalists at Euro 88, WC94 and WC02. Euro88; drew with USSR, lost to a late Holland goal. WC94; beat Italy. WC02; late equaliser v Germany after pummelling them in the second half. Win or lose; they always gave a good account of themselves against better quality opposition. Not in Euro 2012.

So? We were humiliated. Losing I can accept, humiliation? No.

It was a disaster. The humiliation has continued with Germany.

Before 2012, under Trapp; in terms of playing against better teams than ourselves, we gave a good account of ourselves against Italy and France in WC2010 qualifying. In the last qualifying campaign, Russia could have absolutely destroyed us twice but we somehow managed to save face and scrape a one goal defeat and a draw. Signs of decline.

This year, that decline has continued; we can't even save face against superior opposition, we are now being routinely destroyed by better opposition. Ireland under Trapp have been well and truly found out- even Kazakhstan can make a reasonable attempt at beating us.

This was a truly terrible year.

Spot on. And you never even mentioned that we're playing the most dower football the world has ever seen. It's painful to watch.